1915 Webley Mark VI .455

[Cpl Coleman]

Many WW1 .455 Webley MKVIs must have been turned in to the UK government after the war(s) and sold overseas as surplus. I bought a working condition, lightly used one complete with it's leather holster at a gun show here in the US in the early 1960s for the princely sum of $10 (I was also eyeing a nice 9mm Luger but $10 was all I had). The backstrap is engraved "S Galpin 10 S Staffs" ... From service records found on Ancestry, turns out the owner was most likely Sydney Albert Owen Galpin (1886-1965) of Oxford. He enlisted with the RE at Reading with his motorcycle, a 1913 Triumph single cylinder, on 22 Feb 1915. By 12 May 1915 he was commissioned and then it looks like on to the 10th (Reserve) Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment. Hornady still makes the correct load .455 ammo for this pistol and I can attest it still shoots beautifully at almost the century mark!

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Obviously that was a great buy, and an excellent investment. It is particularly nice, and somewhat rare to have a personalized Webley Mark VI service revolver.

I own several Webleys including 2 of the Mark VIs, one is still in its original .455, and the other was converted to .45, and both are in excellent working condition, and still great to shoot.

Regards,

LF